Otago Polytechnic

10/08/2026

More than 150 secondary school students from the Central Lakes region recently filled our Central Campus Otago Polytechnic for a practical open day involving our trade and vocational programmes 👋

Camp Inspire brings together students from five of the region’s secondary schools (Wakatipu High School, Cromwell College, Mount Aspiring College, Dunstan High School and Te Aho o Te Kura Pounamu - The Correspondence School), opening up the Central campus in Bannockburn for the day.

Nicola Hansen, Team Leader for the Otago Secondary Tertiary College programme, says the open day was very successful and gave the young visitors a first-hand insight into the courses, facilities, and learning opportunities available to year 11-13 students through OSTC and Otago Polytechnic.

Visitors were introduced to all the trade programmes on offer via OSTC, including Beauty Therapy, Hospitality, Building and Construction, Horticulture, and Automotive Engineering.

Read more on our website:

More than 150 secondary school students from across the Central Lakes region filled our Cromwell campus last Friday for a practical open day involving our trade and vocational programmes.

06/08/2026

Huge congratulations to the first round of finalists (international) who have been announced for the 2027 iD International Emerging Designer Awards, with our Head of Fashion Dr Margo Barton among the judging panel! 🙌✨

Our Fashion Design graduate Ciaran Naylor scooped top prize at last year's event 🏆

Otago Polytechnic is a proud partner of iD Dunedin Fashion Week, and the March '27 show will also feature a special section showcasing some of our 2025/26 graduates.

Our final year Otago Polytechnic School of Design Fashion ākonga and recent graduates are busy working on their entries for the second round of finalists, which will be announced in December 👀

Meet the 2027 iD International Emerging Designer Awards Round One finalists 🚀

In partnership with Otago Polytechnic, we’re excited to reveal this year’s finalists, selected from an outstanding international field of entries representing 37 fashion schools and universities across 17 countries.

• Alberta Bucciarelli, UTS, Australia
• Chenyue Dai, Donghua University, China
• Chi An Chen, Shih Chien University, Taiwan
• Chico Yu, Bunka Fashion Graduate University, Japan
• Frankie Sturdy, University of Brighton, UK
• Jessie Cunningham-Reid, RMIT University, Australia
• Kao Wan Ci, Shih Chien University, Taiwan
• Katrina Kan, RMIT University, Australia
• Kouki Sugahara, Bunka Fashion College, Japan
• Kyoei Matsumoto, Bunka Fashion College, Japan
• Marie Victor, Whitehouse Institute of Design, Australia
• Matilda Walker, Whitehouse Institute of Design, Australia
• Pinchien Liao, Shih Chien University, Taiwan
• Rose Brown, Nottingham Trent University, UK
• Tiancheng Meng, London College of Fashion, UK
• Valentina Di Bastiano, University of Buenos Aires, Argentina
• Wei-Kai Tseng, Shih Chien University, Taiwan
• Yi-Shiuan Hsu, Shih Chien University, Taiwan
• Yinming Quan, Glasgow School of Art, Scotland
• Yuka Horie, Bunka Fashion College, Japan
• Yung-Yung Chuang, Shih Chien University, Taiwan

These talented designers will showcase their collections on the runway at the 2027 iD Dunedin Fashion Show, taking place on 19 & 20 March 2027 in Dunedin, New Zealand.

We’ll be sharing more about each finalist and the collections that earned them a place in this year’s competition, so stay tuned!

Missed the Round One deadline? Round Two entries are now open and close November 30th 2026. If you’re an emerging fashion designer ready to take your work to an international audience, we’d love to see your application. Visit idfashion.co.nz/awards-entry to learn more.

05/08/2026

Ka mua, ka muri: It's a new chapter for Poho - our dedicated common room and student space for Māori learners at the Dunedin campus! 🙌

The area has recently undergone a major upgrade, transforming Poho into a vibrant, welcoming space that celebrates culture, connection and belonging 💚

This project was a huge team effort led by Te Punaka Ōwheo, but ngā mihi nui to one of our talented Visual Arts ākonga, Aidan Geraghty, whose stunning designs have become the centrepiece of the upgraded space 🎨

👉 Check it out on our website:

It’s a new chapter for Poho – Otago Polytechnic's dedicated common room and student space for Māori learners at the Dunedin campus - which has undergone a major transformation thanks to Fine Arts ākonga Aidan Geraghty.

30/07/2026

Take charge of your voyage and navigate your career pathway! 💪

Explore our programmes and the fantastic careers they can lead to at Vaka Moana, our Pasifika Careers Expo.

Learn more about our student support services, our chaplain, Tapuae gym and Te Pā Tauira, our student village.

With a light supper, guest speaker Ana Teofilo, Pasifika performances and spot prizes, this free event is not to be missed! 🌟

Visit our website to find out more, explore the full list of attending organisations, and learn about our guest speaker, Ana Teofilo: https://www.op.ac.nz/explore/events-and-important-dates/events/vaka-moana

29/07/2026

Two of our talented first year Otago Polytechnic School of Design Fashion Design ākonga have excelled at the 2026 Hokonui Fashion Design Awards, claiming top category awards 🏆👏

Bachelor of Design (Fashion) student Kathryn Holloway won the Sustainable Excellence Award for a design inspired by her love of swimming and free diving 🏊

And classmate Ben Rouse won the Open Androgynous Award for his military wear-inspired design, with two fellow OP students making it a clean sweep in the category 💪

We were also proud to partner with iD Dunedin Fashion Week to sponsor the School Sustainable Excellence Award, which was won by Emily Robertson from Whanganui Girls' College 🌿👏

Read more, and see the fantastic designs on our website:

Two of Otago Polytechnic's talented first year Fashion Design ākonga have excelled at the 2026 Hokonui Fashion Awards. Kathryn Holloway (27) claimed the Sustainable Excellence Award while 18 year old Ben Rouse won the Open Androgynous Award.

28/07/2026

A more flexible style of study has begun for Occupational Therapy students at our Central Campus Otago Polytechnic.

Ten mature students were welcomed to our Bannockburn campus last week as the first intake of the three-year full-time Bachelor of Occupational Therapy (Work Augmented Learning) programme there.

The new pathway in Central Otago (and Northland) allows people to 'earn while they learn' and provides an alternative to relocating for those keen to upskill or pursue a career in the industry.

Read more on our website:

A more flexible style of study has begun for Occupational Therapy students at Otago Polytechnic’s Central Otago campus in Bannockburn. The new work augmented learning pathway allows people to “earn while they learn” and provides an alternative to relocating.

24/07/2026

Chase away those winter blues! ❄️

Winter Wellbeing Week will help you feel nourished, healthy and happy during these long chilly winter days in Ōtepoti!

Enjoy a warm welcome back to campus, with delicious kai, mood-boosting music, free health and wellbeing checks plus spot prizes and competitions throughout the week.

🍲 Plus, free kai will be available from Monday to Thursday, 12pm - 1pm.

Plenty of local organisations will also be in attendance, providing specialist advice (and freebies!) that you don't want to miss.

See you there! 👋

23/07/2026

While you’re watching the Commonwealth Games over the next few weeks, keep an eye out for one of our senior leaders, Hayden Croft 👀

Otago Polytechnic's Head of Health is working again with the Silver Ferns as the team's Performance Analyst at the Glasgow Games 🏐🌿

Hayden's international standing and expertise have been key to the success of our industry-leading Postgraduate Diploma in Applied Science (Performance Analysis) programme, and our students are highly sought after across a wide range of sporting organisations.

Hayden says he's excited to be ticking the event off his impressive international bucket list, and says the elite sporting role is a great reciprocal relationship between Netball New Zealand and OP.

Read more on our website:

Otago Polytechnic Head of Health Hayden Croft is excited to be ticking the Commonwealth Games off his impressive international bucket list. Hayden is working as the Silver Ferns' Performance Analyst at the Glasgow Games.

22/07/2026

Otago Polytechnic is proud to be the top performing ITP for qualification completion rates for a fifth consecutive year, ranking #1 out of the country's 16 polytechnics for the 2025 academic year.

The top ranking was part of the Tertiary Education Commission's annual Educational Performance Indicators (EPIs), which measure how tertiary providers are performing.

Chief Executive Andrew McSweeney says the outstanding results demonstrate the continuing high educational quality and performance that Otago Polytechnic has consistently delivered, alongside strong care and support for ākonga.

Read more on our website:

Otago Polytechnic's focus on delivering outstanding education is reflected in being ranked top for qualification completions out of New Zealand's 16 Institutes of Technology or Polytechnics for a fifth consecutive year, according to the TEC's latest Educational Performance Indicators.